The girl’s family also alleged that the police demanded a bribe of Rs50,000 to file an FIR

The girl alleged the jawan raped her on the pretext of marriage, during a visit to her village.(HT File)

Following a preliminary probe, the Latur school criticised for allegedly expelling a 15-year-old girl after she was raped by Army jawan, was given a clean chit.

The girl alleged the jawan raped her on the pretext of marriage, during a visit to her village. She added the school expelled her after she complained to the police, who approached the institution to make enquiries.

The school staff had allegedly called her brother to convey their decision. “I want to study further, but I have not been going to school since it resumed in June,” she said.

District collector of Latur G Shreekanth ordered a probe to verify the allegations levelled by the girl’s family. “The girl’s brother requested that a school leaving certificate be issued in July,” Shreekanth told HT. “The girl may have not been going to the school owing to personal problems.”

After the allegations surfaced, the collector met the girl’s parents and the school principal. “If she was unable to attend school since July, why did the family wait so long to complain? They could have gone to any forum to complain about the expulsion,” said Shreekanth.

The girl’s family also alleged police harassment. “A police officer demanded that we pay him Rs50,000 to file an FIR. We told him the family earns a living by cutting sugarcane and could not pay such a large sum,” the girl’s uncle told reporters.

The family said they refused to relent and approached the police superintendent, after which a medical examination was conducted and a case was registered against the jawan. The family alleged that police undertook a spot panchnama just once, following which there was no progress.